Ultimatum
by aubreysmom
Summary: A series of church bombings has our team busy meanwhile, are Jack snd Sue finally going to fess up about their feelings, or is David offering her too much? Rated T for police work...
1. Heart Failure

**Ultimatum**

By aubreysmom

Rated: T

Warnings: none

**Chapter 1: Heart Failure**

_Monday morning, 8 am_

Jack Hudson walked into the Bullpen Monday morning with a smile on his face. He'd had a whole weekend off for the first time in six months, and had spent Saturday at the ice rink near the Smithsonian playing hockey with some friends. Sunday had been completely free, and he felt refreshed and more energized than he had in what seemed like forever. Nothing, _nothing_ could go wrong today; he didn't care what Garrett had to throw at them, it wasn't going to shake him.

His smile got broader as he watched Sue and Lucy signing animatedly at the coffee station. Whatever the topic of conversation was, it seemed to have them as happy as he felt. He watched Sue fondly for a moment; she had become a bright spot in his life in ways he wasn't even admitting to himself yet.

"Good morning, Sparky!" Bobby Manning's voice buoyed him further, and Jack turned to exchange a high-five with the tall Aussie. "My, my, you're in a chipper mood today."

"You're right, Crash. I am. I had a full day of slapping a puck around, another day to recover from it and finally get my apartment cleaned up, and I feel ready to take on the world."

Tara had joined Sue and Lucy, and now there was whispered conversation along with the signing; Tara was learning, but she still wasn't quite to the level where she could follow all the signing. Jack watched them chat for a minute, then sat down at his desk and started going through the files in his basket.

Suddenly, he heard something that froze his heart and made every pleasant moment of his weekend plunge off a cliff.

Tara whispered excitedly, and undoubtedly a little louder than she'd intended, "David asked you to _marry_ him?"

Jack's head snapped up just in time to see Sue nod. Since her back was to him, he couldn't see her face. He saw Bobby in the corner of his eye, watching him intently. He turned to face the Aussie. _Did you know about this?_ he mouthed silently.

His friend nodded, and held up a handwritten note on his legal pad. _They've been talking about it since they came in this morning. Want to go get some real coffee across the street? We can talk._

Jack thought for a moment, and then realized his brain wasn't functioning even on that level, so he simply nodded. Unfortunately, at that moment Dimitrius walked briskly into the room, with Myles right behind him. Their expressions put an instant hold on both conversation and coffee plans.

As the ladies turned to hear what they had to say, Sue noticed Jack coming around his desk toward the board. _How long has he been here?_ she thought. Her answer came in the fact that he didn't even glance at her as he settled himself against his desk to listen. Bobby came over next to him, and the Aussie shot Sue both a glance and a slight nod in the same motion. _Oh, great. That's not how I wanted him to find out._ But she didn't have time to straighten things out now.

"Early this morning a church building over in Arlington was bombed," D was saying. "The building was pretty damaged, but fortunately no one was inside."

"The interesting twist," Myles added, "is that three other churches had bomb scares at the same time. A tip, a suspicious-looking box, but no explosives inside. And whoever this is isn't picky about his religion. The four churches were, respectively, Presbyterian, Baptist, a Jewish synagogue and a mosque."

"We need to go talk to the clergy at all four; see if we're dealing with one suspect or a major coincidence." D managed a grin. "And we all know how likely _that_ is. So, Jack, Sue—"

Bobby piped up even before Jack could raise his head. "Aww, how come I never get to hang out with Sparky anymore? It's not fair." He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

Sue looked over at the Aussie, startled; then, she realized what he was trying to do. "Go on, then. Far be it from me to break up the 'Dynamic Duo.' He's all yours."

Myles looked from one to the other, clearly having no idea what was transpiring. He could see Jack was preoccupied about something, but he hadn't been in the Bullpen earlier and hadn't heard Sue's news. "Could we do 'study hall' later? This _is_ a fairly major case we're talking about here."

Dimitrius nodded, shooting the trio a strange glance of his own. "I agree. Jack and _Bobby_, then; go talk to Reverend Dean Adams at First Presbyterian in Arlington. His is the church that actually got damaged. Sue, you and Myles go check with Pastor Scott Conners at Grace Baptist. Tara, you and I are going global; we'll talk to Rabbi Ian Daniels at Temple Beth Chai, and Saiid Baaghil, administrator at Mosque Emmanuel."

Myles turned to Lucy. "Luce, can you pull together a list of all the churches in the area, just in case our bomber or bombers aren't quite finished?"

She nodded as they all headed out the door. She had turned to start putting the list together when she heard a voice behind her.

"Oh, Luce? Thanks."

He was gone before she even could turn around, but she completed the movement anyway. _That couldn't have been who I thought it was. Unless a month with Randy actually made him appreciate the rest of us._ She thought about that for a minute. _Nah._

**stfbe**

**stfbe**

_Monday, 9am_

"I don't want to talk about it."

Bobby sighed in exasperation as he maneuvered the car through traffic. "Will you just _listen_ for a minute, mate? She didn't say 'yes' to him— not yet, anyway."

Jack finally turned to face him. "She didn't?"

"No." The Aussie slowed as the light ahead turned yellow. "From what I overheard, he kind of blindsided her with it, out of the blue. She told him she needed a little time to think about it. Sounded like he took that okay..."

"But she didn't say 'no.'" Jack turned back towards the window with a sigh.

Bobby shook his head as traffic started moving again. "You know what? I hate to say this, but Myles was right— study hall is an appropriate metaphor for the two of you. Why don't you just _tell_ the sheila how you feel about her and get it over with?"

"I can't. The dating policy at work—"

"—is simply an obstacle, Sparky. And an excuse." They pulled into the parking lot at First Presbyterian Church. Bobby stopped the car and leaned one arm on the steering wheel, looking at his friend. "Jack, my gut tells me that _you_ are the reason David popped the question to Sue the way he did. He's more or less giving her an ultimatum because he can't figure out where he stands with her. And, honestly, neither can the rest of us."

Jack's head snapped around at that, and Bobby continued, "You have a decision to make, mate."

"I do?"

"Can you stand working with her every day, knowing she's married to someone else? Or, can you handle one of you transferring to another unit so you can see if there's a chance for something between the two of you? Either way, I think you owe her the truth about your feelings for her."

Jack let that sink in for a moment. It didn't solve his problem, but it was enough that he could file it away for later and focus. "You're right, Crash. I guess I do owe her at least that." He looked up for the first time and got a good look at the church building. One entire wall had been blown out.

"Wow."

"Yep," Bobby replied. "Guess we'd best go find Reverend Adams."

**stfbe**

**stfbe**

_Monday, 10 am_

Myles shifted the box he was carrying, as they walked out of Grace Baptist Church, so he could open the back door of his car. "Come on, wonder dog. Hop in."

Sue absently unhooked the leash, and the big Golden Retriever jumped into the car with a bark. Myles placed the pseudo-explosive on the seat and jumped back slightly as a wet tongue licked his face.

"Ok, ok." The tall agent closed the back door, opened Sue's door for her and moved around to the driver's side. He paused, looking at her over the roof of the car. "You okay?" He had to wave to get her attention.

She looked up. "Hmm?"

"All right, that's it. In the car." When they were both seated, he turned to face her. "You barely said three words in there, and I'm willing to bet you couldn't tell me what Pastor Conners had to say. What's going on, and what was that nonsensical scene in the Bullpen this morning?"

Sue sighed. "David asked me to marry him. Last night."

A pair of blond eyebrows went up. "Oh." He glanced at her hands. "I don't see a ring. I'm assuming then that 'congratulations' aren't in order. So why isn't Jack jumping for joy?"

"Because I didn't tell David 'no,' either." She sighed again, and it all came out in a rush. "He blindsided me, Myles…I didn't know what to say. I really hadn't thought about marriage. David is so wonderful; I really do love him—"

Her colleague's voice softened a little. "But you can't deny that you have some strong feelings for our illustrious unit-leader."

Her blonde hair covered her face as her head dropped. "No."

Myles looked out over the church parking lot for a moment. "My word, 'study hall' was an understatement," he said under his breath. He took a deep breath and turned back to her, touching her arm to get her attention. "Then I suggest you have a talk with Jack. I take it he doesn't know that you're still considering what to do?"

"I think Bobby has probably filled him in by now. But, how can I talk to him? It's not like it's going to make a difference. The policy about dating—"

"—has been a wonderfully convenient _excuse_ for the both of you." He shook his head. "I can't believe I'm actually going to involve myself in this, but, for crying out loud, _talk_ to the man. Figure it out; at least if there's really something there you both want to pursue. If I were David, I probably wouldn't have waited _this_ long to ask where I stood with you. You're not being fair to him, or Jack, or _yourself_, for that matter, by going around in circles over this. And, incidentally, I'd prefer to have the _entire_ team sharp for this case, if you don't mind." He gave her a stern look, mingled with a touch of understanding.

Sue nodded. "You're right."

He started the car. "Of course I'm right," he said with a bit of a grin.

Just before they pulled out into traffic, Sue turned to him again. "I think that month-long stint with Randy did something to you. Since when are you the analyst?"

Myles gave her a sideways glance. "I have no idea what you're talking about." At her _yeah-right_ expression, he laughed softly. "All right, all right. Thirty days with that…let's just say I couldn't be happier to be back with the team, and it's leaking out a little. I'm hoping it will wear off eventually."

She laughed in return. "Why? Although, I'm not sure the team could handle the long-term loss of our favorite cynic."

"Thank you." He grinned fully this time. "I think."

**stfbe**

**stfbe**

_Monday, 5pm_

Back at the Bullpen late that afternoon, things seemed a lot less tense, at least as far as the incidentals were concerned. The case, however…

"'How many more to die in the name of somebody's God?' The same note, left at each church, tacked to the front door." Dimitrius crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against his desk. "Looks like our bomber has an axe to grind with the 'Man Upstairs.'"

"And, not having direct access," Myles added, "decides to take it out on the believing down here. So, what have we got?"

They tossed details back and forth, painting a picture without an artist: the pseudo-bombs were identical, a handful of wires strewn around, connected to a timer and what had appeared to be C-4, but was determined later to be simply modeling clay. The fourth, the one that blew out the wall at First Presbyterian, had been destroyed, obviously, but the information they had from the Bomb Squad indicated it had likely been similar, except that the C-4 had been real.

The notes were all printed, likely done on a home computer. There were no fingerprints on any of the boxes, and none of the clergy or their staff had seen anyone suspicious.

"What a mess," Lucy commented as they finished up. "Makes me ill just thinking about it— even a church isn't safe anymore. And I don't think there's any way we're going to be able to watch _all_ the churches in DC and Arlington. There's just too many."

"Unfortunately, I agree," Dimitrius said. "But we're gonna have SOG watching a dozen random picks, including the three that got scares this morning. Maybe we'll get lucky. Until then, we may as well call it an evening. If SOG comes up with anything, I'll call you. Myles and I are going to go over a map of the area and see if there was anything that might have attracted our bomber to these four spots as a first target."

The rest of the team gathered up their belongings. Jack leaned over to Bobby and said, "You want to go grab some dinner?"

"Sorry, mate," the Aussie replied. "Darcy's making dinner for us tonight. Besides, don't you have something to take care of?" He nodded over to where Sue was discussing something with Myles.

"Oh…yeah." He looked at his friend, a bit of hesitancy in his eyes.

"For Pete's sake, get it over with, Sparky. You're gonna go off the edge if you don't." Bobby waved to the room at large and headed out.

Myles was pointing a stern finger at Sue. "Remember what I said earlier, Miss Thomas. It's not fair to any of you to drag it out," he said softly, as he caught Jack in the corner of his eye, heading toward them. He straightened and raised his voice slightly. "Okay, so there's that angle covered. Hopefully we can get this nut before he decides to manifest any more of his 'Amazing Grace.'" He walked away, heading for D's desk.

"Hey," Jack said, leaning into Sue's sight line.

"Oh! Hi," she replied.

"Um…you hungry? Want to grab a bite to eat? Or do you have plans?"

She smiled at him, a little hesitantly. "Actually, David's out of town for a few days. A big grower's convention, possibilities for some contacts he could use. And Lucy's going over to her grandmother's tonight, so I thought I'd just do Chinese takeout at home."

"You want some company? I'll even spring for the takeout."

She almost chickened out; then she saw Myles in her peripheral vision. He raised an eyebrow at her in a meaningful expression. _Get it over with already._

Sue sighed softly, and then smiled at Jack. "You've got a deal."

**stfbe**

**stfbe**


	2. What a Tangled Web

**Chapter 2: What a Tangled Web…**

_Monday night, 7pm_

Dinner was quiet, punctured by bits of small talk. Sue finally flipped on the news after about ten minutes, just so they had something to do besides _not_ look at each other.

Finally, when the takeout was gone and the news over, Jack took a deep breath and reached for the remote. He switched off the TV, took another breath and touched Sue on the shoulder.

"So tell me about last night."

Her eyes widened. "But I thought Bobby…"

"He did. I want _you _to tell me."

She sighed and looked away. "I'm so sorry you heard about it the way you did. I didn't mean—"

He reached over and drew her face back around. "Forget the apology. Just tell me what happened with David."

Sue looked at him for a long moment, then leaned back against the sofa, propping her cheek on one hand and drawing her feet up under her. "Well, we had a nice dinner, then we went for a walk down along the river. There was a bridge we had to cross, and we stopped in the middle of it for a minute. David said there was something he wanted to talk to me about."

Jack mirrored her position on the sofa. "What was it he wanted to discuss?"

"He asked me to marry him. He had a ring and everything."

"Just like that? Out of the blue?"

She nodded. "He said he knew it was sudden, and he'd understand if I needed a little time to think about it, but he wanted me to know how he felt."

Jack thought back to the conversation he'd had earlier with Bobby. _Dead on, Crash_. He leaned forward a little. "And how do _you_ feel about him?"

"I—" She paused. "He's wonderful, we have a great time together; I like him a lot. But…" She looked directly at Jack. "…I don't know if I'm ready to _marry_ him."

She was stalling, and she knew it. She could see Myles' face in her mind, and the last look he'd given her. _"Get it over with already."_

But Jack beat her to it. He reached over and gently took her hand. "Can I ask you something?" He watched her eyes widen, but she simply nodded. A very deep breath preceded his next words. "What if there was someone else who felt the same way about you that David does?"

She reared back slightly, but held his gaze. "What are you saying, Jack?"

He moved a little closer to her, his hand releasing hers and moving up to stroke her blonde hair. "I'm saying, what if there were a chance for something…" He trailed off, losing his nerve.

Sue stood, shivering a little, then walked over to the window. Now that they'd come right down to it, she wasn't sure she could go through with the conversation. "I don't know, Jack," she said softly, gazing out at the street below. "I just don't know how there could _be_ a chance. Not with the rules at work."

"_Study hall is an appropriate metaphor for the two of you." _Bobby's words stung him enough that Jack finally made a decision. He walked over to join Sue at the window and gently took her by the shoulders.

"Forget the rules at work. For just one moment, forget them, okay?" He saw her nod slightly, her eyes brightening with something they'd kept locked away since they'd first met.

"All right. So, tell me what you're really saying, Jack." Her voice was very soft.

He smiled. "Why don't I just show you?" Her pulled her close, one hand tangling in her hair again, and very gently kissed her.

The world vanished; he felt her respond to him, and the simple kiss deepened into exquisite sweetness as they said all they'd never dared to verbalize. He allowed himself the liberty of drowning in her kiss, the feel of her arms around him, the softness of her skin and her hair.

When they finally parted, he sighed. "Wow." He signed it as well as speaking it.

Sue smiled brightly. "I think I agree completely with that assessment." She was a bit breathless as she said it.

His eyes smiled back at her, but his expression was serious. "Sue, I think I'm falling in love with you. I needed to tell you that. I don't know how to work it out in terms of work, and I don't want to lose our friendship, but I _had_ to tell you."

"Jack…"

He placed a finger on her lips. "The most important thing to me is that you're happy. I hope you know that. If marrying David will make you happy, then that's what you should do. But, if there's any chance that you'd want…something else, then at least now you know there's another possibility."

"Jack…"

He shook his head. "I don't know how we'd work it out. But—"

Sue placed a hand over his mouth. "_Jack_."

"What?" His voice was muffled behind her hand.

"I still need to think about all of this. I know that. But, for right now…I don't want to _think _about anything. Would you just kiss me again, please?"

His eyes widened as she moved her hand away. "I think I could handle that." He pulled her into his arms again.

**stfbe**

**stfbe**

_Monday night, 10 p.m._

"He _kissed_ you!" She dropped her purse and pounced on the edge of the couch by Sue's feet.

From the look on Lucy's face, Sue suspected that her voice was so high-pitched that Levi probably couldn't hear it, either. She nodded, smiling at the memory.

"Wow!"

Sue laughed. "Yeah, that was the general consensus."

Lucy stopped and looked at her friend. "Okay. So how come you're just laying there staring up at the ceiling with a smile on your face and a _what-do-I-do-now_ look in your eyes?"

"It doesn't really change anything, Luce."

"What are you _talking_ about? It changes everything, doesn't it?"

Sue sighed and sat up, tossing Levi's bunny across the room for him. Then she crossed her legs Indian-style beneath her and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, her hands folded in front of her. "The only thing it really changes is that I have a lot to talk to David about. Myles was right. It's not fair to David that I can't fully give him my heart, yet continue to let him hope."

Lucy blinked. "Wait a sec – _Myles_ was right? Since when does he get involved, especially in areas of romance? Not exactly his expertise, believe me."

Sue gave her friend a rather chastening look. "Will you let it go, already? There is such a thing as forgiveness in this world, you know. Yes, I know he hurt you, and yes, you had every reason to be angry with him. But it's been a year and a half, for goodness sake. Move on."

Lucy blinked, startled that usually quiet Sue would lay it out that candidly. She shook her head in amazement. "You of all people, after the way he treated you when you first joined the team, talking to me about forgiveness – wow. All right, I'll work on it, okay? But, _he's_ the one who told you to…?"

"Talk to Jack? Yes. Let him know how I feel? Yes. Get out of 'study hall,' so to speak? Yes."

"Now the last one _sounds_ like Myles," Lucy replied with a grin. "So what are you going to do about Jack?"

"_That_, I don't know. Luce, he said he thinks he's falling in love with me – I'm not sure I'm ready for that. I just really got settled in with the team. I don't want to have to transfer to another unit – not right now, anyway. So I guess I need to talk to Jack again, too."

"What would it be like to have two guys falling all over me?" Lucy wondered out loud, grinning.

"It's not funny, Luce." Sue tossed a pillow at her.

Lucy ducked, laughing. She threw it back. "Oh, yes, it is."

For the next ten minutes, pillows flew and Levi jumped around, barking excitedly. Finally, Sue collapsed against the couch, trying to catch her breath. Lucy was sprawled in the armchair, her legs dangling over one arm, still giggling. Sue looked up at her friend.

"Thanks, Luce. I needed that."

"Anytime, girlfriend. Hey, let's go find some double-fudge ice cream. I feel a late-night chocolate attack coming on."

Sue's face lit up. "Oooh. You're on. Come on, Levi!"

**stfbe**

**stfbe**

_Tuesday, 8 am_

The next morning at the office, Sue found a single white rosebud sitting in a tiny vase on her desk. The note beneath it said simply: _**Just follow your heart. Friends, no matter what.** _

She glanced over at Jack, already at his desk engrossed in a case file. Conscious of someone's eyes on him, he looked up. When their eyes met, she signed _Thank you. That means a lot._

His shoulders moved in a small shrug as he replied. _No problem. I swiped it off a neighbor's rosebush this morning._ He watched as she tilted her head in the familiar motion that made his heart skip a beat, and then he returned the shy smile she was giving him. For a moment, his mind slid back to the night before and the sweetness of her lips...

"All right, people, gather 'round." Dimitrius' voice entered the Bullpen before he did, and everyone moved around to the board where Myles was setting colored markers on a map of the DC-Arlington area.

"Either yesterday's bombings were a one-shot, or our perp took the night off." D's voice was steady and calm. "SOG reported nothing unusual at any of the churches they were watching, and no new explosions or suspicious boxes were reported."

Bobby folded his arms over his chest. "Somebody got all their grievances out in one sermon? Makes for better sleeping, but it means we have absolutely nothing to go on."

Myles had moved to his desk as Lucy indicated a call coming through. Now he was on the phone while the rest of them brainstormed.

"Tara?" D asked. "What'd the lab come up with on the stuff we brought in yesterday?"

She stepped up in front of the board. "Most of the components of the pseudo-bombs were pretty common stuff, available at any hardware store— the wire, timers. The boxes were handmade— again, basic materials. Where it gets interesting, though, is the clay used to simulate the C-4. It's pottery clay— pretty high-end, too. Not the type you could pick up at a general craft store. I ran a check, and there are two ceramic supply stores in the DC-Arlington area."

"Just for the sake of covering our bases, expand your search area to a 50-mile radius around DC," D replied. Tara stepped back to her computer as he continued. "We've got markers set up on the map for all the churches within a 25-mile radius."

He indicated the map, which was nearly hidden under black, blue, and a single red, markers. "As you can see, Lucy did her usual very thorough job with that list. The red marker is First Presbyterian, the one church that was actually bombed. The blue ones are the randoms SOG watched last night, and the black ones are the rest."

Myles hung up the phone rather loudly, and they all turned to see the anger blaze against his hazel eyes. He stalked over to the board, paused for a moment as he searched the map, then exchanged a blue marker for a red one.

"So much for a one-shot," he said darkly. "Temple Beth Chai just went up in a blaze of fire and brimstone."

**stfbe**

**stfbe**


	3. Holy War

**Chapter 3: "Holy War"**

_Tuesday, 8:30 am_

"_How_?" Bobby's voice pitched enough incredulity for all of them. "SOG watched the place all night! They're supposed to still _be_ there!"

Dimitrius held up a hand to cut the tirade short. "Hang on a sec. Let him talk."

Myles' unique brand of quiet outrage was evident as he spoke. "SOG _was…is_ still there, Bobby. The place went up right in front of them. Apparently, our 'Preacher' left a second device at the synagogue yesterday morning. Only this one had three times the C-4, and, as near as the bomb squad could determine, was concealed under the altar." He glanced down at his notes again, not really wanting to answer the question he knew was coming.

Jack picked up on it immediately, and it softened his voice as he asked it. "Was anyone hurt this time?"

They all watched the tall agent take a very deep breath. "Yes," he replied, still looking at the legal pad in his hands. "There was—" The baritone voice broke slightly; Myles swallowed, then squared his shoulders and looked up at them. Now only his eyes betrayed him.

"There was a Hebrew class going on at the time. It wasn't scheduled— Rabbi Daniels was tutoring a few students who needed some extra help. He and six students, all under the age of ten, were killed."

A ripple of shock went around the room; then it palpably settled into a cold resolve. Dimitrius tapped a fist on the board. "All right, folks. Everyone, get out and check your sources— maybe our Preacher has a soapbox somewhere. Then meet Myles and me over at the synagogue. We'll go see what ERT has come up with."

**stfbe**

**stfbe**

The Evidence Response Teams of the FBI were known for their thoroughness – up to fifty highly-trained individuals in each field office, whose specialty was tearing apart a crime scene millimeter by millimeter. They were well-equipped, and remarkably efficient. In fact, their services were in great demand outside the Bureau as well, from local sheriff's offices to foreign law enforcement agencies.

So, when Dimitrius and Myles got to the site of the bombing, it looked a bit like a busy anthill. Fortunately, it wasn't hard to find the head of DC's ERT— Melanie MacDonald's flame-red hair stood out like a beacon even amidst the rubble. Myles raised a hand as they approached. "Mel!"

She turned and looked up at them both, grinning— her five-foot-nothing height making it necessary even when she was standing— and waved back. "Leland, Gans! They actually let you two out of the building without supervision?"

Dimitrius grinned. "Very funny. What have you got?"

The redhead looked back over the scene her team was scouring, the grin fading as she did. "It's a real mess, gents," she replied soberly, "but, we may have something." She led them over to the van where the collected evidence was being catalogued. The two agents followed, trying to ignore for now the seven white-covered forms off to one side— bodies pulled from the collapsed building.

Melanie retrieved a bag from the van. "Take a look at this."

D had already pulled on a pair of latex gloves, and he opened the evidence bag. Inside was a brass disc, perhaps two inches in diameter. It had a hole in the center, and a second disc was positioned so that the two slid against each other, closing the hole. A stylized "M" was engraved in the disc. "Fancy wire-cutter of some sort?"

Melanie shrugged. "I guess. There's a definite groove in it like you'd see after awhile on wire cutters."

Myles raised an eyebrow. "May I see that for a second, D?" He pulled on his own gloves as D handed the disc to him.

The blond agent turned it over in his hand a couple of times. "This is a cigar cutter."

"A what?" Melanie asked.

"A cigar cutter. You know, before you light up a cigar, you bite or cut the end off?"

She shrugged. "Sorry. Never touch the things. I didn't know you smoked, Myles."

"Neither did I," added Dimitrius.

Myles was still studying the disc. "I don't. But my grandfather and my uncles do. This is a high-quality one, too. You'd have to get it in a pretty exclusive smoke shop."

"Can't be many of those around here," Melanie commented. "Should be easy enough to trace."

Dimitrius snorted. "Don't count on it. You have any idea how many politicians smoke cigars? It's like a deal-sealer in this town."

She shrugged again. "I don't follow politics. I just dig around in sites more interesting than Tut's tomb. The rest of it is in you guys' job descriptions."

"Thanks, Mel," D replied as Myles pulled out his cell phone and excused himself. "A bang-up job, as usual. No pun intended."

She smiled briefly. "After a scene like this one, intend it, please. We'll send everything over when we get done." Red hair swung as she turned and walked back toward the site.

Dimitrius headed over toward where Myles was replacing his cell in its case and the rest of the team was just getting out of their cars. "Tara's going to run a list of all the high-end tobacco shops in town," the taller agent said, "then we'll see if we can cross-reference the customers with the ceramic supply stores. Maybe the Preacher is a regular at both, and that's got to narrow our list of suspects."

D nodded, and the team gathered around. "Anybody got any word?"

A few minutes' discussion ended with the conclusion that the Preacher was keeping to himself. Sue kept shooting glances over D's shoulder, horrified but unable to look away. Jack and Bobby went over to talk to Melanie MacDonald for a moment, and Myles, after another round of a deep breath and squared shoulders, walked over to where the victims' bodies were laid. Sue watched for another long moment.

"You okay?" Dimitrius touched her arm briefly.

It took her a minute. "How can you _stand_ to do this? Day in and day out for all these years? Does it stop getting to you after awhile?"

He leaned against the car, hands in his coat pockets. "If it ever stops getting to you completely, it's time to switch jobs. But after awhile you learn to...sublimate it, block it temporarily so you can do your job. Then later, you cry, scream, pound a punching bag, whatever it takes to be able to file it away enough to come back and go through it again."

She thought about that and nodded. "Because coming back means that someday, maybe, you won't _have_ to. That the bad will just give up someday, and that's what you work towards?"

He nodded. "Don't know that any of us have ever actually put words to it, but yeah."

Her gaze drifted again to the other three agents, all with variations of the same stoic expression and haunted eyes. Then she straightened a little herself. "D? Would you help me with a bit of 'Crime Scene 101' education, then?"

"You sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure."

**stfbe**

**stfbe**

_Tuesday, 11 p.m._

It was dark by the time they got back to the Bullpen. But at least they were sure neither of the two remaining "first-target" churches would share the synagogue's fate. After several hours with ERT at Temple Beth Chai, they had checked out both Grace Baptist Church and Mosque Emmanuel, where bomb squads went over every square inch of each building. Now, SOG was watching another dozen random churches, and the waiting game was back in full force.

Tara had found eighty cigar shops within a 25-mile radius of DC, and they had spent the last three hours on the phones, narrowing the list to those that carried brass cutters like the one they'd found at the bomb site. The list stood at twenty now.

Sue leaned back in her chair and stretched. It had been a very sobering and enlightening day for her especially. Dimitrius had taken her at her word; her head was still spinning from the day's lessons. She'd walked away from the site with not only a better understanding of the intricacies of evidence gathering, but also of some of her colleagues. Watching them, she now understood Bobby's righteous anger, Myles' cynical and often morbid-sounding humor, and Jack's sheer intensity of purpose. D seemed to be the only one who didn't need a specific outlet, until she realized that he had one: his wife and kids. Only he had someone to go home to at the end of a day like today – the others fought the nightmares alone.

She was about to get up and go find coffee when the phone hookup on her computer screen flashed. She answered the call. "Hello?"

**Hey there, stranger**. David's words appeared on the screen.

"David! Hi!" She hoped her voice didn't reflect the anxiety that clutched her heart.

But something must have come through, because he said, **I caught you at a bad time, didn't I? The church bombings?**

Sue breathed a sigh of relief that he had misread her tension. "Yes. I'm sorry. We're on full watch."

**It's ok – I won't keep you long. I tried you at home and got the voicemail, so I figured you were working. I just wanted to let you know I'll be home tomorrow night.**

She started a little at that. _So soon?_ "I thought it was a four-day convention."

**It is. But I got what I came after, and I have a pile of orders waiting for me at the shop. I understand that you're busy, but I wanted to hear your voice, and we still need to talk. But it can wait until the bad guys are in jail.**

She stared at the screen for a long moment before answering, "I know we need to talk. I'll call you as soon as I can, and we'll plan something."

**You're on. I'll talk to you later.**

"Bye, David." She sat back in the chair again. But before she had a chance to drop into her thoughts, a hand touched her shoulder. She turned to see Myles standing there. "What's up?"

"Nothing," was the soft reply. "I just happened to catch the end of your conversation with David. And the slump in your shoulders after you hung up. You okay? You've had rather a full day."

She nodded. "No more so than the rest of you. You all are just used to it. And David…"

He glanced around the room quickly, then leaned against her desk and lowered his voice further. "I take it you found some answers in that area? And he's not really going to like the answers you found?"

Another nod, and then she stood up. "No, he's not. But it'll have to wait. We've got work to do. What's next?"

He smiled at her, respect bright in his eyes. "Since you asked…how about you help me go over these evidence reports from today? Maybe we can find something else to go on."


	4. New Developments

**Chapter 4: New Developments**

_Wednesday, 6 am_

"Wake up, Crash. My turn." Jack tossed a pillow at his friend, who was asleep on one of the cots in the lounge.

Bobby came awake with a start, then side-armed the pillow back at him. "You're so kind. Hey, I was going to ask you— how'd it go the other night?"

"With…?"

The Aussie grinned. "Don't give me that innocent look, mate. With _Sue_. Don't tell me you chickened out yet again."

Jack leaned against the wall and folded his arms over his chest. "As a matter of fact, I didn't chicken out. I told her."

Bobby's smile got wider. "That glint in your eye tells me there was more than an exchange of _words_, Jack. Spill it."

His friend shrugged, a rather embarrassed smile of his own emerging. "Let's just say it left every dream I've ever had about kissing her in the dust. I believe the agreed-upon assessment was 'Wow.'"

"Well done, Sparky. Now what?"

"Now," Jack replied, the smile transforming into a monster yawn, "I want at least three hours sleep before I have to think about anything else. It's up to her now, Bobby— I told her that whatever happens, whatever she decides, we're still friends, and I mean it. I want her to be happy."

Bobby nodded. "There's that noble streak we love so much." He stood up and stretched. "Cot's all yours. I'm gonna go find a cup of coffee and see what's going on. Oh— sweet dreams," he added with a smirk.

Jack gave him a look and threw another pillow. "Get out of here already."

**stfbe**

**stfbe**

_Wednesday, 6 am_

Seven hours of reviewing evidence later, the images were starting to blur together in her eyesight. Sue blinked and rubbed her fingers over her eyes, then leaned back into the reports. Suddenly, something caught her eye and she jumped to her feet.

Myles was at his own desk, while she had moved over to Bobby's so they could pass the reports back and forth. He jumped slightly when a photograph unexpectedly appeared under his nose.

"Look at this." A slender finger pointed to the middle of the photo as he glanced up at her. "What is that?"

Myles grabbed a magnifying glass out of his desk. At Sue's startled expression, he raised an eyebrow at her. "What? One of these days Tara's computer will crash right in the middle of a crisis, and no one will remember how to use any other methods. I remain prepared."

Sue laughed. "Eagle Scout, weren't you?"

"Still am." He bent over the photo for a few minutes, jotted down a couple of notes, and then handed the magnifying glass to Sue. "You tell me what it is, since you volunteered to be the student today."

Sue moved around to stand next to him and took the glass. She looked carefully, having to familiarize herself with centering the image in the 3-inch circle to avoid the distortions. "It looks like a matchbook."

Myles nodded. "Smoke shops generally give them out, especially with big purchases, like custom-engraved brass cigar cutters. What do you see on it?"

She repositioned the glass slightly. "It got pretty well burned, but…is that a knot of some sort? A logo?"

"That's what I saw. And if I remember correctly, it's a Celtic knot." He sat back in his chair, giving her enough warning before he grabbed the photo and stood up. "_Now_ let's put Tara Tech to work."

Tara didn't even look up as they approached her desk. "After the earlier comment I heard, you think I'm going to help you now? I and my computer resent the implication," she said archly.

Myles grinned. "Hey, I thought you were a cyber-goddess until you got hacked by Crazy Loco. Now, I'm not so sure."

"You hush." She looked up. "Whatcha got, anyway?'

He handed her the photo. "Can you put this up on the screen? We need to get a look at something, and your alter ego has a few more magnifications available than my glass."

"Glad you noticed." She popped it in the scanner, and a few seconds later the photo appeared on the plasma monitor. "What do you need?"

Sue walked over to the screen and pointed. "Right there. The matchbook."

Tara tapped a few keys; the image zoomed in and cleared. "That?"

"That's it." Myles looked at it for a minute through narrowed eyes. "Four-point Celtic knot. Tara, have we got that list of smoke shops handy?"

She handed it to him. "Right here."

He scanned down through the list. "I don't suppose we have an old-fashioned Yellow Pages around here somewhere? An actual _book_?" He grinned without looking up.

Tara tossed one of her Koosh balls at him. "Yes. I think it's in your favorite filing cabinet over there," she quipped in return.

Sue laughed. "I'll get it. We don't want one of our lead agents to injure himself in the middle of the case."

**stfbe**

**stfbe**

_Wednesday, 6:15 am_

"That's it!" Sue's voice was the first thing Bobby heard when he walked back into the Bullpen fifteen minutes later. He blinked when he saw her exchange a high-five with…_Myles_? They were both wearing delightedly triumphant smiles.

"What's it?" The Aussie asked. Then he lowered his voice to mutter to himself, "And when did we enter the Twilight Zone?"

If Myles heard the comment, he didn't show it. He was too busy jotting down an address. He checked his watch, nodded to himself, then looked up. "We may have just gotten a bead on the Preacher. You awake enough to tag along?"

Bobby grabbed his coat. "Righto. Where to?"

Myles motioned to Sue as well. "We're going to go find the owner of McKennitt Cigar & Tobacco on Massachusetts Avenue, then check out two ceramics supply stores in Arlington."

"Let's go!" Sue's signing was as excited as her voice.

The two of them headed out in a hurry. Bobby brought up the rear, shaking his head and still wondering if perhaps there had been something strange in the coffee.

**stfbe**

**stfbe**

_Wednesday, 7 am_

Brendan McKennitt was a stout man of about 60, and his brogue hadn't diminished one iota in the 35 years since he'd left Ireland. As such, Sue found it very hard to make out what he was saying; but when the man found out she was deaf, he was remarkably gracious in slowing down a bit.

"Aye, I've sold many o'these cutters," he told Myles, turning the brass disc over in his fingers.

"And the monogram?" Myles asked.

McKennitt nodded. "Aye, now that's a custom design. I designed that myself."

"It's beautiful," Sue commented. "How many customers have purchased that design?"

"Just one. Senator Frank Matthews. Well, his office, anyway. He orders about a hundred o'them a year— gives 'em out as deal-sealers. His aide is the one who usually comes in to pick them up— gentleman by the name of Rick Orban. Strange sort of fellow, but always polite."

"Strange?" Bobby asked. "In what way?"

The older man shrugged. "Can't really put my finger on it, but the last time he was in here, he seemed…agitated, I suppose. Was going on about some congressman's speech about the war on terrorism being America's holy war or something. Personally, I wish they'd all go crawl back under their rocks and leave the rest of us in peace – the terrorists _and_ the politicians. Hasn't done a bit o'good either way in the old country, if ye ask me."

Myles retrieved the cutter from the Irishman. "Thank you very much for your time, Mr. McKennitt."

"Indeed. No trouble at all."

They walked out of the smoke shop and Myles dialed his cell phone. "Tara? Would you please run a trace on a Rick Orban? He's an aide to Senator Frank Matthews."

"Sure, Myles. By the way, D and Jack are both back now, and D wants an update."

The blond agent paused. "Please let him know we've found where the cigar cutter was purchased, and we're headed out to Arlington to check out those ceramics shops. I'll call him with a full update when we get to the first one."

"Okay," Tara responded. "I'll tell him. See you all in a bit."

"Thanks, Tara." He hung up and headed for the car.

Bobby pulled Sue back a little as they moved to follow. He lowered his voice so Myles wouldn't overhear. "Okay, who is that, and what have they done with Myles?"

"What do you mean?"

"Since when does Myles bother to use his 'impeccable manners' on mere co-workers? And what was that in the Bullpen earlier— the two of you are suddenly best buddies?"

Sue smiled and started to answer, but didn't get the chance.

"Are you two coming, or are you waiting for an engraved invitation?"

Myles' irascible tone made Bobby grin. "Never mind," he said to Sue. "Whatever it was, I think it's gone now."

**stfbe**

**stfbe**

_Wednesday, 10 am_

Three hours later, they were back at the Bullpen with more interesting tidbits on Rick Orban. The discussion continued over take-out from a nearby sandwich shop.

"Not only is our congressional aide a cigar aficionado," Myles said, "he also has two rather interesting hobbies— pottery, and speaking out about our policies combating terrorism."

Tara spoke up. "We found out a reason for the latter: apparently, two weeks ago, Orban's sister was killed in a suicide bombing at a mosque in Kirkuk, Iraq. She was part of the support staff for the transitional government advisory board; she'd taken her lunch hour to do a little sight-seeing, and ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Add to that," Myles continued, "a speech presented to a joint session of Congress five days ago by Senator Michelle Auden of West Virginia, supporting the President's policies regarding both Iraq and the 'war on terror.' In her speech, Senator Auden said, quote, 'There comes a time when a nation must stand against those who threaten the freedoms we enjoy, and send a message to them: America will not be intimidated; let the war on terror become our jihad, our holy war.' It was met with, understandably, mixed reaction."

Bobby grinned. 'I'd say that gives us enough for a search warrant."

"The AUSA is working on it as we speak," Dimitrius replied. "Those two tidbits, plus the fact that Orban's a regular at both McKennitt's and The Pottery Works..._and_ was in the Army for three years as a munitions specialist. We have our bomber; now we just have to prove it somehow other than circumstantially."

"Jack's over with Marty Pavone, waiting for the search warrant," Myles continued. "We move as soon as he calls."

**stfbe**

**stfbe**

_Wednesday, 12 noon_

"Well, well, well…" Dimitrius motioned to the other three agents in the apartment. "What have we here?" Jack, Myles and Bobby all congregated in the bedroom with him. A chorus of low whistles ensued.

On a table set up in Rick Orban's closet were the makings of both pseudo- and real bombs: wire, timers, clay _and_ C-4. Underneath the table were several handmade wooden boxes, and on the wall above was a map with three red pins, and a handful of blue ones, stuck in it.

D adjusted the camera on his headset. "Tara, you getting all this?"

"All preserved for posterity," came the reply.

"Then I'd say it's time to pay a visit to Senator Matthew's office and create a job opening on his staff," Bobby quipped, grinning.

"Not so fast," Myles said, laying a hand on the Aussie's shoulder. He pointed to the map. "First Presbyterian…Temple Beth Chai…and a third church. St. Vincent's Cathedral."

Jack drew in a sharp breath. "St. Vincent's is right in the heart of downtown D.C. And it _hasn't_ been on SOG's random watchlist. Orban's had a clear shot for two days."

D was already on the radio. "Tara, get ERT over here pronto, and get the bomb squad over to St. Vincent's _now_. We'll meet them there."

**stfbe**

**stfbe**

_Wednesday, 1 p.m._

"Yes, I've seen this man – he repaired our PA system. Some young prankster, apparently, had cut the wires under the pulpit."

Myles' face was grave. "Father Davies, when did you discover that the wires had been cut?"

The Priest tapped his chin in thought. "Day before yesterday, so Monday afternoon. I went into the chapel to go over my homily for Thursday Mass. When I discovered the PA system wasn't working, I called the repair people right away. They told me the earliest they could get here was this afternoon, but your Mr. Orban showed up at about 8 am. He said another job had taken less time than expected, so they were able to squeeze me in. He had what looked like legitimate identification."

"Got it!" A voice rang out, and both men turned to see the Bomb Squad walking down the cathedral steps carrying a wooden box. "It's disarmed – had a timer set to go off at midnight."

Dimitrius walked over to them, and held up a short length of cable. "This was left from the repair work," he commented, handing the cable to Myles. "Check out the cut marks."

Jack and Bobby had come over by now as well, and Myles passed the cable to them after studying it for a moment. "Angled off – like the sliding motion of a cigar cutter would make."

D nodded. "_Now _we go create a job opening on Senator Matthew's staff."

**stfbe**

**stfbe**


	5. To Everything There is a Season

**Chapter 5: To Everything There is a Season**

_Wednesday, 5 p.m._

The mood in the Bullpen that evening was festive. Rick Orban was in custody, and the area churches could breathe easy once again. Only Sue seemed preoccupied — the others were noisily discussing where to go out for the traditional celebratory dinner.

Finally, Jack came over and touched her shoulder. "The consensus is Chinese food at the Jade Phoenix. Will you be joining us?

She shook her head. "I can't— or, not right now. I need to go talk to David. I may join you later, though."

"Ah." Jack did his best to keep his expression neutral. "Well, we'll miss you."

Sue smiled at him. "Thanks."

He signed _You're welcome_, then leaned in a little closer so as not to be overheard. "By the way, have you noticed anything odd about Myles lately? Bobby was saying he's been entirely too…genial. I think it's scaring Bobby."

Her smile got even broader, and she nodded, then signed, _Myles is just glad to be back. After 30 days with Randy…well…_ At Jack's nod, she continued. _He said it was "leaking out a little" and he thought it would wear off eventually._

Jack laughed, and was about to comment further when a voice from behind reached his ears. He turned, motioning to Sue where it was coming from.

"—which simply goes to prove that _some_ of us were blessed with natural abilities certain _others_ of us can only dream of attaining one day." Myles was giving Bobby a significant look.

The Aussie grinned. "I _knew_ it would just take the right buttons being pushed." He clapped Myles on the shoulder and received a grin in return. "Welcome back, mate. Now, let's go eat."

**stfbe**

**stfbe**

_Wednesday, 5:30 p.m._

David Palmer opened the door. "Sue! I wasn't expecting to see you until at least tomorrow."

She smiled as he motioned her into the apartment. "I know. But we finished the case, and I knew you were going to be home tonight…"

"No explanation necessary. I'm glad to see you." He gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "So, one more bad guy bites the dust, huh?"

"Something like that." She was stalling, and she hated herself for it. "Can we talk for a minute?"

"Sure. You want something to drink?" he asked as he took her coat.

"No, that's all right. Thank you." She sat down on the sofa, and he joined her. She folded her hands in front of her, and looked at the floor. "David, about what we talked about Sunday night…"

He touched her arm to make her look up at him; then he sighed. "I think I know what's coming. Just say it, Sue."

She reached over to take his hands. "I'm so sorry, David. Please understand; I never meant to hurt you. This has all been so wonderful, truly, and I do care for you a great deal—"

"But…?"

She sighed. "But…it's not fair to you that I can't give you my heart completely. I can't marry you, David, and I can't lead you on anymore." Her head dropped again, and a single tear fell onto their hands.

He was quiet for a few minutes, then squeezed her hand to get her attention. "I'm not going to say it doesn't hurt," he began, a little unsteadily, "but I also won't say it was a complete surprise. Thank you for being honest with me, and with yourself. And it _has_ been wonderful. But you need to follow your heart— I do understand that."

She nodded, and he leaned over to gently kiss her on the lips. "I'm going to miss you," he said softly.

Sue smiled faintly. "You may not believe this, but I'm going to miss you, too. And Levi may never forgive me."

David laughed. "Nikita and I will manage. It'll be fine. Now, I suspect you have someone else you need to talk to."

She stood and picked up her coat. "Yes, I do."

**stfbe**

**stfbe**

Jack locked his car and headed for the stairs, trying to calm the storm brewing in his soul. When Sue hadn't shown up at the restaurant, he'd made a few excuses to the team about calling it an early evening. But he knew they were aware that he just wasn't up for company -- only Myles and Lucy hadn't given him sympathetic glances as good-nights were said. They each just smiled and told him to go have a quiet evening.

_I expected it from Myles_, he thought as he absently climbed the two flights, _but Lucy? That's not like her -- she's been trying to play matchmaker from day one._

He was so deeply immersed in his thoughts that he wasn't aware of his surroundings, so he jumped about a foot when a feathery tail popped into his sight-line as he was unlocking the door. He looked over to see Sue sitting on the floor of the hallway, her arms wrapped around her drawn-up knees.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his heart still pounding, but for a different reason now.

She smiled. "I thought I'd fill you in on the evening so far. And I figured this would be easier than doing it at the restaurant in front of everyone."

He held out a hand and helped her up. "I appreciate that. Come on in." He pushed open the door and they walked in. Levi made a beeline for the one chair Jack had previously designated as "the exception," and the big dog curled up and promptly went to sleep.

Sue laughed as Jack took her coat. "Levi's been very anxious for you to get home."

He chuckled in return. "I can tell." Then he looked at Sue strangely. "How long have you two been sitting out there, anyway?"

She smiled at him again, in a way he could only describe as mysteriously. "Oh, since about 6:15."

Jack glanced at his watch, which read 8 p.m.. "You didn't stay very long at David's." The pounding of his heart was getting worse. _Easy, Jack. Don't take a compass reading on this just yet. _He motioned her to the sofa, then sat down next to her-- not too close, just in case...

She turned, drawing one foot up beneath her, much the same position she'd been in the last time they talked. "You're right. I didn't. And there's a reason for that."

_She's going to make me ask_, he thought ruefully. _She's been spending too much time with Myles_. He took a breath, trying to sound nonchalant. "And what would the reason be?"

Sue didn't look down, like he'd expected her to. She kept her eyes squarely locked with his. "Because David and I aren't seeing each other any more."

His only outward reaction was to raise an eyebrow, but he didn't think his heart was going to take much more pounding-- even she should be able to hear it now. "You're not. May I ask why?"

The soft smile that brightened her face took his breath away. She signed, very slowly, _You already know why_.

Jack drew in a deep breath, then slid over to put his arm around her on the back of the sofa. His other hand reached up to caress her cheek. She didn't say anything, just closed her eyes at the sensation. He leaned forward and kissed her very gently.

She responded, one hand going to his cheek and the other around his neck and into his hair, but there was something subtly different this time. It was no less sweet, but Jack realized she had more to say, and he released her after a long moment.

"What is it?" he asked softly. "There's more you need to tell me, isn't there?"

Sue nodded. "Jack, I broke up with David because it wasn't fair to him that I couldn't give him my whole heart-- a heart that belongs..." she trailed off, and looked down before signing, _to you_.

He signed it so she could collect her thoughts without having to look back up. _I understand. I feel the same way about you._

She nodded, then looked up at him again. This time, there was love shining out of her eyes, but also resolve. "We said we didn't know how to work it out with the dating policy, right? What if we _didn't_, for right now?"

His brow furrowed a little in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Sue sat back a little, and took both of his hands in hers. "Jack, I'm sure, if we tried, there are ways that we could both work together and see each other personally. But, honestly, I don't know if I'm ready for that much juggling in my life right now. I finally feel, _really_, like a part of the team, and I'd like a chance to just...enjoy that for awhile. Does that makes any sense?"

Jack nodded, smiling at her. "It does. And you are a part of the team, Sue, no matter what."

"I know," she replied. She reached up and laid her hand on his cheek. "You really meant it when you said 'friends, no matter what,' didn't you?" At his nod, she smiled. "Can we just be...well...really close friends for right now?"

"You define 'really close' for me, and you've got it."

She laughed. "You're not making this any easier."

"Hey, you're the one calling the shots, love," he chuckled, enjoying the way her eyes widened at the endearment. Then he gently brushed her bangs away with his fingers. "Look, why don't we just plan on the occasional casual date, nothing too intense, and just take it a step at a time. There's plenty of time to worry about the work policy stuff later. I don't feel like dating anyone else anyway. How's that sound?"

Sue's smile warmed him like a summer breeze. "That sounds about perfect. I don't feel like dating anyone else, either. See, I knew there was a reason they made you the unit leader-- you're a genius."

He stood up, laughing, then held out a hand to lift her to her feet and swept her around in a big hug. "I think this is a perfect solution all around." He kissed her cheek, then pulled her toward the door. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" she laughed.

"The gang's over at Bobby's, watching a movie or something, and I think they'd rather get the scoop off-duty. Don't you?" Jack whistled to Levi, and the big dog jumped off the chair to follow them.

Sue's laughter filled his ears as she put on her coat. "I think they'd never forgive us otherwise. I guess sometimes it just takes a little push to get things where they're supposed to be, huh?"

He caught her hand and brought it to his lips. "Yup. Sometimes all it takes is an ultimatum."

**FINIS**


End file.
